LS-4 and a parachute-drop Cessna collide on crossing courses

An LS-4 glider and a Cessna 182 climbing to drop skydivers collided on crossing courses; all six occupants were killed and both aircraft destroyed. The glider was on a thermal flight; the Cessna — a jump plane with a pilot, two tandem instructors and two passengers — had just taken off and was climbing toward Class C on a crossing heading. Both were in Class E under VFR, responsible for seeing and avoiding each other. They met almost at right angles, the Cessna's strut and propeller striking the glider's left wing and cockpit. Neither pilot avoided; under the rules, power aircraft must give way to gliders.

1. Glider and jump plane aloft: An LS-4 was on a thermal flight while a Cessna 182 jump plane, with a pilot and two tandem pairs, climbed out from a nearby field toward Class C.
2. Crossing courses in Class E: Both were VFR in Class E on near-perpendicular tracks, each responsible for seeing and avoiding the other.
3. Neither pilot sees the other: Neither pilot saw the other in time, though power aircraft must give way to gliders.
4. Right-angle collision: They collided almost at right angles; the Cessna's wing strut and propeller struck the glider's left wing and cockpit.
5. Both destroyed, six killed: Both aircraft were destroyed and all six occupants were killed. No technical defect was found.